Show y 6 f V Lamp the B BY Y ARTHUR ARTNUR STRINGER W. W N. N U U. S Service TIlE THE STORY SO FAR Carol Coburn born Alaska daughter of a abush abush abush bush rat who died with an mining claim returns North to teach Indian school Aboard ship she Is annoyed by Eric the Red Ericson and ond Is rescued by Sidney Lander young mining engineer Lander merely turned his back on the poker Miss Arc Are you going to stand for stuff like this this he demanded towering over me with a quick flame of indignation indignation indignation in in- lighting up his eyes Behind me I could sense the last boat of hope burning up on t the e coast of desperation I knew when I spoke that I was issuing an ulti ulti- I dont don't intend to I quietly an an- Miss flounced out of the loom Lander when we were alone tood a little closer over meI meI me I UI got you into this he said and sand its it's up to me to get you ou out Jf f it I was conscious of his bigness as asI asI asI I let my gaze lock with his My laughter Im I'm afraid was a little reckless Theres nothing to be done about it I told him But deep in the ashes of disaster I could feel a small smaIl glow of happiness at the thought that he was there to lean on Why not come back with me me he finally inquired What good would that do I said Lander after looking down at me for what must have been a full half- half minute of silence walked to the window window window win win- dow and then returned to my side It UIt wouldn't do any good he said with just a trace of the color ebbing from his face Its all happening happening happening hap hap- pening a little too late happening too late I asked him Our coming together he said There are things he went on not easily talked about But we can at least be honest with each other I announced for instinct had already told me what he was groping toward Yes we must be honest he agreed And the unhappiness in his eyes made my heart beat a little faster So USo its it's time I said that we both came down to earth What do you mean by that exacted exacted exacted ex ex- acted my jawed grim-jawed companionI companion I saw the girl back on the Seattle Seattle Seattle Se Se- attle wharf the girl you said goodby goodby goodby good- good by to And I can understand why you must play fair with her Landers Lander's glance came slowly back to my face Ive been engaged to her he said quite simply for over two years now If I reached for a chair back to steady myself I at least managed to laugh a little fine I said with my chin up Fine he echoed plainly puzzled puzzled puzzled by that lilting lightness of mine Of course I maintained For now we can go on being good friends without any worry or threat of of-of of of complications Can we he asked as his eyes once more rested on my face Good pals I cried to Uto the end of the trail So lets let's shake hands on onit onit it it like two old He failed to observe as we shook hands that I had to swallow a lump in my throat Would you mind telling me I Isaid Isaid Isaid said when that was over just Ujust who she is It wasn't easy for him of course But he faced it with a forlorn sort of casualness Barbara Trumbull he ex ex- ex- ex John Trumbulls Trumbull's daugh daugh- ter We practically grew up er Then you must have a great deal dealin dealin in in common He studied my face as though in search of second meanings We had he finally edged But you talk of fighting her father father father fa fa- fa- fa ther I reminded him And I intend to fight him said the wide-shouldered wide man beside me But shed she'd feel things like that shouldn't count between us When I spoke after thinking this over I was able to keep my voice steady How do you feel about it I II I asked I cant can't answer that was Landers Lander's Landers Lander's Landers Lander's Lan Lan- ders der's slightly retarded reply You see she's coming to Alaska to get things straightened out She doesn't agree with her father that Ive I've been disloyal to the Trumbulls That also gave me a moment of thought Then she must be very fond of you I heard myself saying To that however Lander offered no answer CHAPTER VI didn't get rid of me so sosoon sosoon sosoon soon as it expected Two days after my scene with the acidulous Miss I was interrupted in my packing by Katie OConnell Were in quarantine she announced announced announced an an- with two cases of scarlet fever in the infirmary And Ruddy says you cant can't walk out on him bun Miss I reminded her said otherwise J I But old out of the picture pic pic- ture She's in bed with bronchitis Lander working for the Trumbull company which Is fighting Coburn's claim Is engaged engaged en en- to Trumbulls Trumbull's daughter Though a romantic spark Is kindled Carol Is on guard against her own emotions Lander Carol and an nn abandoned Indian INSTALLMENT V J And Ruddy says weve we've got to carry on I felt less at sea after Doctor Ruddock Ruddock Ruddock Rud Rud- dock had me write to the Territorial Commissioner following up I discovered discovered discovered dis dis- covered a secret dispatch of his own asking for a teachers teacher's position position position tion in the Valley When I heard by that grapevine circuit which seems to operate in in all frontier countries that John Trumbull had visited the valley and that Barbara Trumbull had flown into in into into to Anchorage it seemed like echoes out of another world Even when I heard that Lander had taken over the management of the Happy Day Mine and that he and Trumbull had fought a wordy battle on the open platform of station I failed to be as excited as when Katie told me that the little Indian girl from up in our improvised pest ward wasn't going to die after all I kept waiting for my Commissioners Commissioner's Commissioners Commissioner's Commissioners Commissioner's Commis Commis- report That report was neither prompt nor encouraging It acknowledged they were in need of a teacher for but that conditions were not suitable there for a young and inexperienced outsider I wrote back admitting my youth but pointing out it was a defect which time would undoubtedly cor- cor E 7 r r A 1 r I wrote back admitting my youth I recto I also alluded to my physical physical physical cal sturdiness and my eagerness to work in the new field with an underlined underlined underlined un un- un- un postscript announcing I was Alaska born And in the meantime both the calendar and and the excitement excitement excitement excite excite- ment of our little wards reminded us that Christmas was close at hand Then came the second blow For Katie and I with Miss still weak and crabby did what we could to make the childrens children's holiday a happy one We sent to Anchorage for hard candy and sugar-canes sugar and colored candles and paper glitter-paper and powdered mica With my own hand I cut down a spruce tree and dragged it in over the hills This when duly installed in the schoolroom schoolroom schoolroom school school- room we draped with strung popcorn popcorn popcorn pop pop- corn and emblazoned with bits of ribbon and spangled with tin stars cut out of empty tomato cans adding adding adding add add- ing copious streamers of wrapping cord dyed red with beet juice and snowy handfuls of absorbent purloined purloined purloined pur pur- from the surgery And over everything we sprinkled a generous glitter of powdered mica It was all pathetically meager and make But the raptness of the childrens children's eyes as they stood and watched that tree brought a lump to my throat It paid for the thelong thelong thelong long hours when Katie and I sat up wrapping oranges in red tissue paper paper paper pa pa- per one for each child and labeling the mitts and stockings and sweaters sweat sweat- ers out of the community gift boxes from Seattle and Juneau But my little loved it all On Christmas morning in fact when I appeared in stuffed pillow-stuffed Turkey red as Santa Claus Glaus they got so excited excited excited ex ex- cited we had to drape the schoolroom schoolroom schoolroom school school- room doors with blankets to keep the noise from Miss disapproving disapproving disapproving dis dis- dis- dis approving ears They put on paper hats and Little Little Little Lit Lit- sang Rock bye My tle Owlet and Jingle Bells and even had a try at Handels Handel's While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks which Katie and I found it expedient to finish out by ourselves Then they made the rafters rin ring with Al But their little Indian souls eventually eventually eventually ally got so drunk on music and excitement excitement excitement ex ex- that we had to ease them down with a square dance And the easing down would have been less dire if a little Copper opper River brave hadn't chased a still smaller eater blubber-eater from the right into our twinkling and glittering glittering glittering glitter glitter- ing Christmas tree That collision overturned one of the lighted can can- dies I heard a crackle of flames and anda andI a dozen shrill cries from a dozen little little little lit lit- I tle throats Then I saw to my hor- hor baby which his dog found spend a night Ina In Ina ina a truck when a snowstorm traps them But the next day Lander Is able to get them through Miss head of the school who reseats resents re re- re seats Carols Carol's youth routh Is shocked and says so that our tree was a n tower of fire I snatched one of the blankets draping the doors and tried to smother er the flames But it was too late The blanket took fire Even my Santa Claus Glaus gown started to burn and I tore it off in the nick of time I t knew as I did so just what would happen to that old tinderbox of a building if it ever got going And AndI I remembered there were six or seven helpless children up in the infirmary Katie must have remembered the same thing for she shouted for me meto meto meto to get up to those children while she got the milling and wailing schoolroom schoolroom schoolroom school school- room group safely out of the build build- ing Even in the outer hall the smoke was thick as I raced for the infirm infirm- ary There I caught up a wailing little redskin from the first bed calling back for the others not to move as I ran for the door and hurried hurried hurried hur hur- ried down the stairs to the west-end west door where Miss unexpectedly unexpectedly edly active and efficient was commanding commanding commanding com com- manding the bigger boys to clear out the building known as the Warehouse Warehouse Warehouse Ware Ware- house and spread blankets on the floor Then I raced back for my second patient The smoke was thicker along the hall hallil and stairway and I found it harder to see But I knew a surge of relief when Katie passed me carrying a child in her arms Two minutes later I was safely down the stairs with the third helpless helpless help help- less tot in my arms Miss as she took the patient from me looked sharply into my sooty and reddened face For the first time in my life I failed to see hate in her eyes A village Indian who'd been wasting wasting wasting wast wast- ing water and energy as one of a bucket brigade tried to stop me as asI asI asI I started in through the door He shouted that the stairs were on fire But I pushed him to one side side- and raced up through the smoke I found what was left of the children children children chil chil- dren out of bed and huddled in one c corner of the infirmary There were four of them They shrieked when they saw me for Katie had given me a wet sheet with which to cover cover cover cov cov- er my head That seemed to keep some of the smoke away and made it easier to breathe as I groped my way down with a little in my arms Again Miss eyed me as I handed over another patient No go back a ragged half-breed half bellowed a at t me as I faced the burning burning burning burn burn- ing building He stood there blocking blocking blocking block block- ing my way with one hand clamped to either side of the door It was Katies Katie's vigorous kick coming down with a child in her arms that sent him sprawling out on the ground and gave me gangway I could hear the crackle of timber and see flames licking through the stair boards as I fought my way back to the infirmary It would I knew be bemy my last visit to that room So I caught up the two remaining children covering their heads with my wet sheet and felt my way toward toward toward to to- ward the hall Their weight when I was so in want of breath made me stagger But they helped me in their terror by hanging on like leeches I thought for a moment that I was going to faint I staggered down that runway of ot licking and dancing flames flames- with flames with my shoes scorching from the heat and my lungs aching for one whiff of pure air I had by this time no sense of place or direction But Bui through the murk I could make out the pale oblong of the open door And out through that open door I stumbled stumbled straight into the arms of Katie OConnell O'Connell who huskily huski huski- ly croaked Glory be to God as she eased me down on the trodden dooryard snow and started flailing my burning clothes with the wet wel end of a blanket Then for a minute minute minute min min- ute or two everything went black When I opened my eyes Katie was trying to make me swallow a cupful of brandy and water the ticket she said Then she busied herself rubbing olive oil on my scorched hands and cheeks checks I didn't know it at the time but my eyelashes were missing and s a goodly part of my front hair had gone glimmering Did I get them all I asked It hurt me to talk for my throat was sore from the smoke You did timer old-timer affirmed Ka Ka- Ka- Ka tie But it nearly got you And with that she picked me up in her arms and carried me to the improvised improvised improvised im im- im- im barracks that had once been our Warehouse where a stove had been put up and floor bunks were arranged for the children It wasn't long before Doctor Ruddock Ruddock Ruddock Rud Rud- dock arrived on the scene Hello stoker he said blinking down at me Then he stooped for a moment to take my pulse Youve got the stuff this country needs Im all right I told him You must look after the children He nodded Ill ti fix you up later he said as he put the blanket back over my scorched clothing But stay where you arc are young lady or Ill I'll nail you down TO BE DE CONTINUED |